Hornby for a 6-year-old?

nokia1100

I would say Hornby 00 gauge is good at that age (with certain adult supervision). I was glad of it at that age. You can start with 8 basic curved piecesof track, add 2 long straights, maybe a couple of sets of points, then another track loop. Get a big piece of chipboard (very cheap), give it a coat of undercoat, then fix the track to that. If you're short of space, get rid of the 50" TV (only joking!) - seriously, you can stand the track board on end against a wall and it takes little room.
If money is an issue, try eBay as others have said (but check what parts cost new in comparison, don't bid more than that for used parts).
Your child will thank you for it, and they won't turn into a spotter (unless you want them to). Much more educational than computer games, the railway will hold value and can be passed to the next generation.

onlyroz

meeps wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hornby-R1121-Devon-Flyer-Gauge/dp/B00260GAN8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315682246&sr=8-4

we got my son something along those lines for his 5th or 6th birthday/xmas and he did really enjoy it, but we set it up and he drives it, the oval just fits on our large coffee table or on the rug in his bedroom, but its a get out for the weekend type of toy.

So do you just get a basic oval with a kit like that? I've also read some reviews that says the build quality isn't that great now that production has moved to China.

Hubby is now talking about getting him a radio-controlled car...

meeps

Yes the starter sets like that seem to come with just an oval as far as I have seen= we also got the Toy Story 3 set, and weren't impressed with the quality of that one, it started at over £70 and has been reduced to £30 or so since so we can't be the only ones.

cheekygeordie

Have just given my 10 year old a Hornby Strikeforce train set for his brirthday. He loves it. Oval track with siding and a few tanks and soldiers. 5 year old showing interest and if this continues expect his to ask for on at Christmas. We have room to leave it up as would not fancy set up and take down on same day. Trainset bought from ebay for about £42 instead of RRP of £90ish. Hope this helps.

WestonDave

Whilst Hornby sets are marketed as toys, in reality they need to be set up quite carefully to get the best out of it. If its put together and taken apart too many times the rail joints start to get loose. As they get loose, the electrical connections don't work as well and the trains get jerky and keep stopping. Putting it on carpet leads to fluff etc getting into the motors and again it all stops working as well.

However - if you want to do it, it can be done fairly easily. A suitable board can be made up by getting a sheet of plywood (better than chipboard as you'll never get a track pin into chipboard - believe me!) and cutting two 3 foot square pieces. These need to be joined together with hinges on blocks (the blocks sit on top of the board and mean that when the board is hinged closed there is a gap for the track above the board surface - even an offcut of the plywood is enough to create space) so that it opens out like a "book". You can then fix the track onto each half, with a track joint on the join of the board. These joining points need to be glued down to keep them absolutely still. This way you end up with a 6ft x 3ft board when open, and a 3ft square one when closed, which will fit under a bed. Its not the biggest layout but it is workable.

(the alternative is to switch to N gauge which is half the size - but less suitable for young children!)

onlyroz

Thanks all. At the moment I am angling towards a Lego train-set, maybe the cargo train, because it comes with a decent amount of track and extras, and I think it would eventually fit in his room.

I've also been looking at the tomica sets, but they might be a bit young - so I might get my daughter one of those and they can squabble over it together.